Net-mending women of Baixo Miño Atalaia

About this heritage

The traditional net mending (redera) and knotting (atadera) trade is generally linked to women who began at a very young age. They were called redera or atadera. The net mending and knotting skills were passed down to the younger girls from their mothers. The learning progress became relevant once the girls began working in the shacks located on the docks.

The changes in the raw material of the threads: hemp, linen, nylon and fishing line determined the history and evolution of this trade.

The net-mending women (redeiras) of Baixo Miño Atalaia, carry out their professional activity in a cubicle in the Net Warehouse inside the port of A Guarda. They specialize in the confection, assembly, preparation and maintenance of the different arts and fishing gear, such as Minor Arts, Lampreiras and Sableiras (fishing nets).

They diversify their work by carrying out two types of activities, such as informative school workshops, where the trades of the sea of A Guarda and the importance they have for the economic development can be understood. The workshops are held in the association’s Netting Workshop and also at schools.

They also perform other activities, such as visits for tourists and the general public, in an aim to make the public aware of the work, trade, culture and tradition of the women’s net-mending role. The meeting point is the actual warehouse work zone of the association.

The visit to the women’s net-mending Netting Redeiras Warehouse allows for an understanding of this craft, the different types of nets and their uses, how the materials are recycled, giving worth to the work of these artisans. The enclosure displays an array of photographs and other graphic material, such as actual items used by the net-mending women, in the warehouse’s permanent exhibition.

It is also of interest to get an understanding of the products used in this craft, using the hand skills related to this work, but adapted to personal accessories such as bags, snoods, pendants, earrings, brooches and headdresses, identifiable with the seal of the Crafts of Galicia.

To learn more

The Baixo Miño net-mending women’s association is, in turn, associated with the “O Peirao” Galician Artisan Net-mending women’s Federation (Federación Galega de Redeiras Artesás “O Peirao”), established in 2004, pursuant to having searched, since 2002, for contacts of other net-mending women in various locations.

Each of the associations were created during the course of various meetings and, once having come together, they managed to change their working situation. They attained new working premises, they readjusted the specific training, they obtained labour and tax information and they work together in this association with some common objectives: acquire recognition for their trade and pull the net-menders out of a situation of near invisibility, in which they had found themselves up until now.

With the purpose of diversifying their tasks, they also carry out two different activities, such as informative school workshops, in order for others to become familiar with the A Guarda sea trade and the importance it has on the economic growth of the area. The courses are carried out in the association’s net-mending warehouse and also in the actual schools. Another of their activities is the visits for tourists and the general public, which final purpose is to make them familiar with net-mending womens’ trade, craft, culture and tradition.

It is also of interest to get an understanding of the products used in this craft, using the hand skills related to this work, but adapted to personal accessories such as bags, snoods, pendants, earrings, brooches and headdresses, identifiable with the seal of the Crafts of Galicia.

To know it better

The net-mending women are women who carry out various tasks related to fishing nets, the sea, and fishing. Traditionally, sailors were the ones that worked in sea-related matters. However, as with many other occupations, women gradually made their way into this sector, so as to prove their equal capacity to men for carrying out all types of jobs.

The fishing industry bears great importance on the town of A Guarda.

There are approximately 711 net-mending women in Galicia. This is a large number, particularly if we compare it to the rest of Spain, where the overall number tallies 883. In the town of A Guarda, of the province of Pontevedra, the net-mending women are from Baixo Miño Atalaia, exporting their goods to various countries. The group is made up of 9 women. These women are in charge of repairing, fabricating and maintaining the equipment that the fishermen require for fishing and shellfishing. They assemble all kinds of inshore fishing nets. We are talking about professional net-mending women who, with their net-making method, are committed to this craft. They give different courses to allow participants to reach an understanding of the different types of nets that can be crafted and the art of fishing, currently existent.

Furthermore, through the establishment of an association, they have put at the public’s disposal, a complete collection of photographs and various graphic material on their techniques, as well as a small display of tools and utensils which they require for them to carry out this job.